1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods of diagnosing whether an individual has a spongiform encephalopathy, the stage of disease and the efficacy of treatment for the disease.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spongiform encephalopathies are neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system. They can be transmitted, inherited or occur sporadically and are observed in animals, e.g. as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle or scrapie in sheep, as well as in humans as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstman Sträussler Scheinker syndrome, Fatal Familial Insomnia or Kuru. They have a long incubation period, leading to ataxia, dementia, psychiatric disturbances and death. Neuropathological changes include vacuolar degeneration of brain tissue, astrogliosis and amyloid plaque formation. The diseases are difficult to diagnose pre-mortem.